Locked In Not Dead
by Sappy Romance Movies
Summary: Did Jack really die, or was he simply locked in because of the cold? What if he had really survived? How is this possible? Read to find out just exactly what I mean.
1. Chapter 1 Not Yet Dead

**I do not own Titanic or any of the characters featured there in.**

"Jack, Jack there's a boat," said Rose, shaking him slightly. "See! I told you everything would be al- . . . my eyes won't open, and my mouth, why isn't it moving! I have to do something! How can I make her know I'm still here!" Jack said to himself.

He was locked in, it was temporary of course, just a side effect from the cold and the water. All that it would take to wake him was some warmth, or an adrenaline rush, but obviously the thought of being saved was not enough.

"Jack, JACK! Wake up Jack there's a boat! Oh no, hes gone!" Rose would have wailed if she could but she was so cold.

Jack wanted to scream "I'm right here! I can here you! Everything is fine!" But he couldn't.

She called for the boat, reluctant to let him go, but she couldn't be loud enough. "I'll never let go," she muttered to Jack, and then she kissed his hand and let him fall in to the deep depths of the Ocean as she went to retrieve the whistle from the mouth of a nearby man.

As Jack sank, he heard the sound of the whistle becoming fainter and fainter. He couldn't feel the stabbing pain of the water on his body anymore, although his head was not quite used to it. He was sinking faster and faster, and if he didn't wake up soon, he would be dead. He didn't blame her, she thought he was dead, she knew that he would never have let her die there like that, he was glad she had gone. Suddenly, he felt the cold stab of the freezing water hit him like a hundred thousand knives. Just like that time he fell through the thin ice in his childhood. His eyes shot open, his legs started to kick.

"I'm out, I'm free, I can get back to Rose!" he thought, he was sure of it now. However, when he reached the surface, the rescue boat was gone, he could no longer hear the crys of "Is anyone alive, can anybody hear me?!"

He grabbed a floating board, waiting to die, contemplating how Rose would never know he could have survived, and been with her forever. Suddenly a light flashed across his face. It was another boat, a small rower, maned by a singular scruffy bum, who seemed surprised at the sight of a liveing person amung the dead.

"Lads, we have a drifter! Only one, I expect, better bring him aboard!" screamed the man, back at a large sailing ship behind him. "Laddy, are you alright, you seem to be in a bit of a pickle, but old McScruff will help you up right quick." With that, the man calling him self McScruff pulled Jack up out of the frozen depths and threw a blanket over him. Jack felt so good, he fell asleep right there on the row boat.


	2. Chapter 2 McScruff

**I do not own Titanic or any of the characters mentioned there in.**

The next morning, he awoke to several dirty men leaning over him, curious as ever. "What do you suppose happened?" "I don't know, could be just about anythin' I expect." "Imagine, a ship that big sinkin'! Tragic."

Jack noticed the man who saved him walk in to the room. "ALRIGHT MEN, MAKE SOME ROOM, THIS HERE IS A VERY SICK LAD AND I EXPECT HIM TO BE TREATED PROPER, YOU HEAR ME!" screamed the man. "AYE SIR!" shouted the men. The man walked over to Jack's cot. He was a stout man, with wild red hair, who walked with a limp on his right leg.

"Aye, son, are ye awake?" Jack groaned, "Ahh, would you like a bit of breakfast? The kind lady down in the galley is fixin' up some gruel. I know its not fancy gourmet like on that thar ship ye were sailin' on but it'll fill ya."

Jack jumped at the thought of breakfast and said quietly. " Yes, sir, and thank you. For both saving my life and giving me accommodations on your boat. Would you mind telling me where we are?"

The man looked grave at the sound of Jacks worn voice and answered kindly. "Were just tryin' to pull in to a port near here in Halifax. 'Tisn't far from where your boat just sank."

"Halifax, that's in Canada right? Just one country away from the states?" asked Jack hopefully, maybe he had a chance to get to Rose after all.

"Aye Lad, it is. But before I go asking ye why ya suddenly have a light in your eyes, why don't ye eat this?" A young, thin, homely girl walked in to the room, she was carrying a bowl full of gray mush. Jack didn't care, he had eaten worse.

The man handed Jack the bowl, and with that, began to question him. "Well son, why don't you tell us first why you were floating out there, still alive by miraculous odds I might add, in a ship wreak surrounded by a million dead passengers."

"Well, you see sir," began Jack, "That was the Titanic, it was supposed to be an unsinkable ship, but I guess they were wrong. We hit an iceberg and the ship started filling with water. There was so much confusion everyone was going crazy. I was floating with, well ya I guess you could call her my girlfriend, Rose, and I got locked in, you know, I was frozen so much I must have looked dead. Well, you see, she must have thought I died, because she whispered that she would never let go of my memory, and then let me fall so she could be safe. It took me a bit longer than I thought I guess, because when I finally unlocked and got to the surface, she and the rescue boat were gone. I don't know how long I floated on that board until you came and picked me up."

"I see, so that's what the light in your eyes was. Ya know your woman was saved and now ye hope to get her back! Well lad . . . what was your name?" said the scruffy man.

"Jack, Jack Dawson. And yours?"  
"Well, my true name is George Kelly, but everyone here calls me McScruff, on account of my comein' o'er from Scotland and bein' a right mess! Well, Jack, we'll be sure to help you with your troubles gettin' to where ever you have got to go, but first ye need your rest. Eat up and leave the bowl on the floor next to ya when finished. Hatty will come back and pick it up when she comes 'round again."

With that, McScruff got up to leave, but Jack stopped him. "McScruff, if you don't mind me asking, why were you out here anyway?"

"Well Son, were Halifax fishermen. A private owned company yes, but we catch 'em good and send 'em out all over Canada."

"Thank you again Sir, and please, just let me know how I can repay you." Said Jack, meaning it with all the deepness of his heart.

"All that I wish in return boy, is that ye are safe, well, and will finnish telling me of this girl who seems to have struck your fancy so much!" and with that the man was gone.


	3. Chapter 3 Staying with the Kellys

**I do not own Titanic or any of the characters featured there in**

Over the next few days, Jack was resting on the fishing boat. After about the second day, he was well enough to walk around on deck and tell McScruff all about Rose and the love which he felt for her.

"If there is one thing I love more than life it self, it would be a good love story, so I think I would know a good one, and lad, that one there is a right gem." McScruff told Jack. He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a few tears rolling down the big mans face and collecting in his beard.

"I just wish it could have a better ending, which is why I need to take this chance to see her again." Jack looked off in to the distance, hopeing that he would see his beloved Rose again. There was a feeling inside of him that threw him in her direction, a pull that almost had him swimming as fast as he could to her.

"Well Jack, we should be pulling in to port by tomorrow, and then we can work out how to get ya back to your fair Rose in New York." Now, this man had no idea how he would get Jack to Rose, but he knew he had to. You see, a few years prior to him picking up Jack, George Kelly had lost the love of his life to an unexplained illness, and he never recovered. If he ever had the chance to see her again, he would do what ever it took to get there. He swore that he would not let the nice young man who had probably survived only for his love of Rose, perish under the crushing weight of loss.

The next day they pulled in to the harbour in Halifax, and Jack was buzzing with excitement, it was one step closer to seeing Rose again, he could almost feel her in his arms, curling against his chest, kissing his lips ever so softly. He wouldn't go any farther, he had to save every feeling for when it really counted.

"Welcome to Halifax Jack, If you can make it here (from where you were before) you can make it anywhere. Or . . . well . . . you've made it here." Jack laughed a nudged McScruff as they pulled in to the harbor.

He stepped off the boat and felt like he would topple over. He was so used to the rocking of the ocean that he wasn't used to the solid ground, but it felt good to be steady again. An old woman came running up to him "Are you okay dear? You look an awful mess, come, lets get you cleaned up. I'm Allie Kelly, McScruff's sister. You must be Jack Dawson, we got a telegraph message about you just when you were picked up! Quite the tragedy, but we'll get you sorted out right proper."

The old woman was kindly, like the grandmother Jack never had, and was truly concerned with his well being. She walked him to a small house, obviously not a great extravagance, but it seemed warm and cozy, which, as you can well imagine, Jack liked.

"Now Jack, why don't you go lay down on that bed there and I'll bring you some fresh clothes and some good food." She pointed to a room just off the sitting area and walked in to the small kitchen. She got right to work boiling some water and then went in to another room of the house.

Jack went and sat on the bed, it felt nicer than anything he had ever slept on, and he was just about ready to tuck in early, when Ms. Kelly came back with a pile of clothes and a bowl of soup. Jack started at the smell, it smelled so good, and he would have sworn it was made by angels. The clothes she left him felt so clean and soft, and although they were big and a little worn, they were just as good as the finest fabrics in all the world to Jack.

He slept like he would never wake up in the morning, dreaming only of Rose and how he would soon hold her again. He hadn't thought of how he would find her, or how she would react to seeing him, all he had thought of was seeing her again.


	4. Chapter 4 A Way To New York

**I do not own Titanic or any of the characters featured there in**

When he awoke in the morning, was making a breakfast fit for a king in the kitchen. Jack dug in almost immediately, feeling rude but full after. She of course forgave him knowing what he had been through. As he ate, he told all of his story, starting with winning the tickets to the boat, Rose, the accommodations in the third class cabin, Rose, how the boat sank, and Rose. She really seemed to care about getting him back to Rose.

"Don't worry love, I know just how to get you there, we have a test run of the new railroad system going out of here starting later today, its going to a station in Ottawa, and then down to New York, you can get on that run with around fifty cents American, do you have that?" Asked Allie looking very serious as she asked.

"No, I'm afraid I lost all my money while I was drifting in the ocean." Said Jack, slightly alarmed. He knew this was probably the only chance he would get to make his way to Rose, and yet he didn't have the money to do it. This thought was devastating to him.

"Well, its not like its an amazingly large sum, I suppose we could lend it to you." Replied Allie, knowing how much this meant to Jack. She wasn't sure how her brother would react, but knowing his kind disposition, she was fairly sure he wouldn't mind.

"Oh thank you, thank you! How can I ever repay you for all you have done!" Jack began to weep at the prospect of seeing Rose again, and how it was all thanks to the kindness of these almost complete strangers.

The kind woman simply rubbed him on the back and watched his eyes clear from the joy he was feeling inside. "Jack, love, don't worry about tryin' to repay us. We just want you to get back to that dear Rose you care so much about. George lost his darling a few years back, and well, I don't see him asking for payment as long as you get back to your own darling girl."

And then Jack knew, it would all be alright, he would see Rose again and he would make sure she had everything she needed for the rest of eternity, because thats what you do for people you love.


	5. Chapter 5 Getting to Her

**I do not own Titanic or any of the characters featured there in.**

As they walked to the station Jack felt like he was leaving people and places he'd known all his life, rather than just a few days. He had his ticket to Ottawa, and a prepaid ticket to New York from there. He felt like crying when he held it in his hand. To him, it was not just a ticket to New York, a city he had dreamed of seeing his whole life, but a ticket to the woman he loved more than any one ever loved anybody. It was a ticket home, because where Rose was, was his home.

"Goodbye Allie, thank you for all you have given me. And thank you McSruff you old dog, you saved my life, I will be forever grateful." Jack shook the hands of both and then stepped on the train. As it pulled out of the station, he saw them waving goodbye at him, looking overjoyed that he was going where he needed to be. He wasn't sure he would ever see them again, but he knew that if he ever got a chance to go back he would let them see Rose and know that his life had turned out how ever it would turn out.

Now he really started to feel it, he was getting closer and closer to Rose by the second. The fast moving train would have him in Ottawa by morning at the latest, and New York by the next night fall. He wanted to scream out the window, like he had that first day on the boat. He was to pensive for screaming now, almost completely retreated inside himself. Nothing like being locked in of course, he was fully aware of his body, and could come out of this stupor any time he wanted. However, unless it meant getting him to Rose, he didn't want to. He was day dreaming of her, every breath of her. He wanted her, every bit of her, forever and always. He was certain he would see her again.

Pretty soon, he was sleeping on the train, completely content in his own world. Just then a porter came to him and told him to prepare for the stop, they were just entering the station in Ottawa. At this Jack almost jumped out the window. His excitement grew ten fold, just knowing he was closer to Rose. It was early morning at this point, just as predicted, and now he only had one train left to catch before he got to New York.

His train left only fifteen minutes after his first, and it was leaving at the opposite end of the station. Jack ran as fast as his legs could carry him, he knew that if he missed that train, he would miss his chance at a long and happy life with Rose. He made it just in time.

It vaguely reminded him of almost missing the Titanic when it launched. That would have been both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, he could have stayed in Europe, as he dearly loved it there, and could have continued his travels. He could have also saved himself all of the heart ache and actual ache of almost losing his life and Rose. But, if he had never sat out on the deck and seen her, never saved her from jumping, never dined with her, never drew her, never loved her with all the passion and fire his heart could hold, then he would only be half a man at that moment, lost and confused with no TRUE goal in life besides bumming his way around beautiful places. Now, his one and only purpose was her, not even his own life mattered more than seeing her smile light up the night like a thousand stars again. Nothing, ever, could amount to more than her.

He had lots of time to go through thoughts like these while the train carried him closer to her, it felt like it was going two inches an hour rather than fifty miles a minute, but he knew that he would see her in due time, and if he jumped out of the train now, he would never make it.

When the train pulled in, he swore his heart skipped five beats. His whole body was almost vibrateing with the intensity of what he was feeling. He ran off the train, and almost collided with several people as he ran out in to the streets of New York. He knew, that somewhere in all this hustle and bustle, his darling Rose waited to be found by him.


	6. Chapter 6 The Pull Of a Play

**I do not own Titanic or any of the characters featured there in.  
**

A week, a month, a year passed. Every day, Jack lost a little of his fire, and yet every day he ran around New York, looking for Rose Dewitt Bukater, a Titanic survivor. Never did he expect to REALLY be trying to find Rose Dawson, small time actress.

He didn't know what he had expected those first few days. Maybe to see her on the street, or in one of the many cafes he stopped at for lunch when he had a dime or two. He did portraits again, hoping that she would walk by, recognize him and come running to him crying. He almost half expected her to be waiting on the platform in the train station when he first got off, but he was certain that would never happen.

He was almost ready to give up, almost, when one day the owner of a restaurant he was eating at put up a sign. It was a flier for a new stage production taking place at the small, privately owned theater down the street. He didn't know why, but something told him this play was important. That for some reason, there was a draw on him coming from this particular play. Maybe he was crazy, maybe he was just tired and it would go away in the morning, but he had made enough that day (lots of tourists that day, you see) and so he decided to go see it.

He was so fidgety that he almost forgot to pay for his food, it was six at night you see and the play went on at seven. This near obsession was driving him crazy, and he didn't know why! He was sure that he was in no condition to go see a play, looking just like the gutter rat most thought him to be, but he had a heart truer than any and he knew that this play must have something to do with Rose.

He ran, full tilt, down the street and up the corner, until he reached the theater. A small crowd had gathered around the ticket booth, there seemed to be a lot of buzz surrounding the young actress playing the lead, there were no posters out so he couldn't see what she looked like.

By the time he was able to get to the ticket booth, they were sold out of seats. He looked at the ticket seller. He was sure he could out run him. For God's sake he had survived the freaking TITANIC!! He could do anything if his will was strong enough, and there was just SOMETHING about this play that was so strong, he felt he may die if he didn't go in.

"Alright then," said Jack, slowly walking a few steps away from the booth, "if your sold out your sold out. Not for me to tell you what you can and can't do." He turned around and with that . . .

He bolted for the door! "I guess I'll just have to sit on the floor!" He ran inside and the ticket man tried to stop him, but he was to slow, and the other employees were all off doing other things.

Jack slipped into the crowd of people being lead in to the theater and sneaked through the doors. He found an empty seat, and hoped that its patrons would never show up. Luckily, by the time the doors had been shut and the curtains had gone up there was no one asking him to remove himself.

The first scene began as any other comedy would. A few gags with the male lead and a couple of minor characters. Nothing special. Jack had no idea why he had wanted to come see the play in the first place. The female lead didn't even come on for a half hour in, and he was just getting ready to leave, when he saw her.

It was Rose! His Rose was an actress now, the lead in a play! This play had suddenly become more spectacular than anything he had ever seen. He would have been content to watch her act out her silly role all night, for the rest of forever even, but he knew that the play would come to a close and she would go off stage until the next show. He had to find a way to get to her. She was going to be going back stage soon for the rest of the performance, so he had to act quickly.

He decided he would sneak in to her dressing room, and wait to have her find him. Sitting there, waiting for her, like he planed to do forever.

It took him a bit of luck, but somehow he managed to get back stage. He found some girls walking back, talking about silly trivial things, when they mentioned going back to the dressing rooms. He decided that following them was his best bet at finding Rose's room, she was the star after all, she must have a room to her self.

He walked around a good fifteen minutes until he found a room with a plaque which read "Rose Dawson" He was surprised at the name change, it was his after all, she must have done it in his memory, she must still love him to! He walked through the unlocked door and positioned himself in place where she wouldn't see him until he spoke.

**I know this is kind of spoiler-ish, but I am thinking of the possibility that Jack and Rose may get married in the story, and I need to know some opinions, so if you have any ideas, please comment!**


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